Beyond the School Books
by SamCyberCat
Summary: Apollo had thought Phoenix was the greatest lawyer in the world, then he actually met him. Phoenix/Apollo.


Notes – Done for 15pairings. Set sometime after Turnabout Corner.

* * *

Throughout law school everyone had looked up to Phoenix Wright. A semester could hardly go by without his name being mentioned at least once. In some cases a week couldn't go by without that happening. Because in the three years he'd been a lawyer Phoenix had become the greatest. He proved people innocent who no one else could have done and he stood for everything a defence attorney wanted to be.

No one was very clear on what happened after those three years. It was one of those topics that teachers awkwardly avoided if it was brought up. But in light of everything Phoenix had done, what happened next seemed less important.

Apollo had been no exception to the rest of his classmates. He'd studied any case he could find that Phoenix was involved in, trying to learn as much as he could from the methods of the greatest.

He wanted so badly to be the lawyer that Phoenix was.

Then he actually met Phoenix.

By the time that happened the years of law school were firmly behind him. He was learning under another attorney called Kristoph Gavin, and his first client turned out to be none other than Phoenix himself.

The man he saw looked nothing like the Phoenix he'd idolised in his youth, not even close. The crisp, clean blue suit had been replaced with clothes that looked as if they hadn't seen a washing machine for years, along with stubble across his face and a gaze that said he wasn't really paying attention.

Part of Apollo was in disbelief about the whole thing; right up until Phoenix had turned the case around and got Kristoph arrested. No one saw that coming. Definitely a trial worthy of the great Phoenix Wright.

The fake evidence, however, was definitely something not worthy of him. Apollo hadn't been able to hide his rage against that.

So thanks to the man who he'd spent his youth learning about Apollo now had lost his job and won his first trial using evidence that at the time he had no idea was false. He should have known that man was too good to be true…

With that in mind he was a little sceptical when after a while after Phoenix called him up asking him to take on a case. He half suspected that the whole thing was a farce, and the fact that he did end up involved in a murder trial seemed to have little to do with what Phoenix had originally set him out to do.

He reasoned with himself that work was work regardless, and continued to work under the Wright Anything Agency. Seeming to spend more time there than he intended without actually realising it himself.

It was probably because Trucy, Phoenix's adopted daughter, needed a good influence in her life. She was already quite morally corrupt in a child-like sort of way, but Apollo reasoned that she wasn't beyond help.

Trucy tried her hardest not to call Apollo her mother figure in return. Sometime this was hard to manage. He was such a good mommy.

So good, in fact, that he was roped into doing most of the cooking for the house. Before his arrival the two had mostly lived on noodles and Phoenix seemed to make the smoke alarm cry for mercy no matter what he tried to cook.

During one of his late afternoon cookery sessions Apollo heard the door open, and the heavy footsteps that followed announced Phoenix's arrival.

The young attorney ignored him initially, but the smell of food brought Phoenix towards him, leaning across to see what was in the pan.

"Looks nice," he commented, "But I thought you were into making all that salad stuff."

Phoenix regarded 'salad' in the same context that he would 'poison'.

Shrugging, Apollo replied, "Long trial today, I really didn't feel up to anything fancy." Then he flipped over one of the eggs to cook the other side.

"Can't go wrong with fried anything," Phoenix laughed, leaning on Apollo's shoulder to get a better look. Apollo felt himself colour under the pressure of Phoenix's hand. He cursed himself for that.

"Your insides might not agree with you," he said, stubbornly.

"Haven't complained yet," Phoenix cheerfully replied. And Apollo had to admit that the man was in good shape, not that he was looking.

He didn't dignify this with an answer, concentrating on what he was doing.

After a moment's silence, Phoenix said, "Trucy was right about you."

"Law school was wrong about you," Apollo said, with more venom than he'd intended. He wasn't even sure where that came from…

The weight of Phoenix's hand lifted from his shoulder.

"And would you have preferred it if they were right?" It was one of those rare moments when Phoenix was being serious and Apollo instantly felt wrong for bring the subject up.

"Sometimes…" he admitted, sticking to it no matter how guilty he felt about the subject.

Without turning around to see the expression on the man's face, he heard Phoenix reply, "Some day you'll learn. Not some day soon, I hope. But… when I was a lawyer I used to be so much like you; maybe that's why I took you on."

"Self indulgence?" Apollo translated, a little shocked at himself.

"That as well, but that's a different reason entirely," Phoenix said, cheerfully. The hairs on the back of Apollo's neck stood up. He had not just said that. Please say he had not just said that…

Then he felt the older man's arms wrap around him. The shock almost caused him to drop what he was doing, but he stayed there.

Resting his head on Apollo's shoulder, Phoenix said, "People have to change. It happens to us all, whether we like it or not. The lawyer you looked up to is gone, and given how much those schools glorify me he probably never even existed to the extent that he did in your imagination. If you can get past that then…"

"I'm already past that," Apollo heard himself say. He didn't even realise he was, but he had to be if he was still here.

Turning to get a better look at him, Apollo caught Phoenix's eyes. Then the former lawyer did something that Apollo would never have expected – he kissed him.

Given the position they were standing in it was a little indignant, but Apollo really didn't care. For that moment he felt completely calm.

No, he didn't want the lawyer of the school books to be here. Because if he was then Apollo would lose this man that he also admired. And that was not something he wanted to lose.

As if to draw their attention back to earth, the smoke alarm went off loudly.

When Phoenix was in the kitchen some things never change.


End file.
